The present invention relates to poker machines (otherwise known as slot machines or fruit machines) in general, and in particular to a communication system for a poker machine installation which allows remote crediting and debiting of a player's balance in an individual poker machine from a central control unit.
It is commonly known to produce poker machines in which the player may establish a credit by inserting one or more coins or tokens, thereby enabling the machine to be operated until the credit has been exhausted. In such machines, payment of prizes is normally achieved by increasing the credit in the machine by an appropriate amount, and the player is able to redeem his credit at any time, either directly from the machine or by receiving prizes to the value of his credit.
It is also known to connect poker machines in an installation to a central computer system which can interrogate each machine in the system to gather audit data collected by the machines during their normal course of operation. This audit data includes data relating to the number of coins or tokens inserted into the machine, the number of times the machine has been played, the amount paid in prizes, the number and the type of jackpots paid by the machine, and the number of door openings, etc. since the last interrogation of the machine.
It is also common in some countries to operate poker machine systems wherein the player does not insert coins or tokens into the machine being played, but instead pays at a central location. The cashier on receiving the appropriate payment then credits the machine remotely by transmitting electrical pulses to the machine. Payment of prizes are made by an operator who reads a credit meter on the machine when the player wishes to stop playing. The credit is then paid either as a cash amount, or as a prize of equivalent value to the credit meter reading.